


dim lights, thick smoke

by vade_brucestephenbucky



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Mid-Canon, Relationship Discussions, jean "my goal is to keep a girlfriend" havoc, roy "i'm swear i'm not in love with riza hawkeye" mustang
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-10
Updated: 2020-11-10
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:34:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27497284
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vade_brucestephenbucky/pseuds/vade_brucestephenbucky
Summary: Mustang and Havoc have a heart to heart about Solaris, before and after that night in the Third Laboratory.
Relationships: Jean Havoc & Roy Mustang, Rebecca Catalina/Jean Havoc (mentioned), Riza Hawkeye/Roy Mustang (mentioned)
Comments: 18
Kudos: 69





	dim lights, thick smoke

**Author's Note:**

> title is taken from the song "Dim Lights, Thick Smoke", written by Joe Maphis, Max Fidler, and Rose Lee.

_Dim lights, thick smoke, and loud, loud music_  
_Is the only kind of life you’ll ever understand_  
_Dim lights, thick smoke and loud, loud music_  
_You’ll never make a wife to a home-loving man_

—

“Someday I’d like to settle down, of course,” Havoc says and takes another draw from his waning cigarette before pressing into the ashtray, meeting Roy’s eyes as he did so. “I’m hoping Solaris will be the one, because I’m about tired of not being able to keep a woman.” 

Roy had been the one to invite him to a bar after work since Riza was visiting her hometown and he didn’t want to bother the rest of his unit. They hadn’t explored the bars of Central, and both of them were free on this Friday night. 

“Oh?” Roy says and raises his brow. “I thought you had to break that off, due to our transfer.” 

Havoc shakes his head. “It turns out she lives here. Not too far away from Central Command, actually.” He smiles lightly, at the sight of Solaris in his mind’s eye. “She invited me out for drinks again tomorrow night, though I’m not too sure I’m too keen on the idea.” 

“Now, Havoc,” Roy prys and tilts his head. “You have never been one to turn down a night out, especially not on a Saturday after the week we’ve had.” 

Havoc chuckles and takes another sip of his drink. “I want to spend time with her outside of a bar,” Havoc explains. “On our last few dates, all we’ve done is either go to bars and drink the whole night, or fancy restaurants where she requests expensive wine and I can’t say no because I want to impress her, so I end up getting drunk and being a mess when we go home.

“And she buys me cigarettes when she knows I’m trying to quit.” Havoc fumbles with his case and slides it away from himself, setting it at the edge of the table and out of his reach. “But I like her a lot, Colonel.” 

Roy nods, letting out a sigh. “I can tell, but if you’re looking to settle down with her, then I don’t know how good she’ll be if she’s trying to keep you smoking and drinking.” 

“I’m glad you’ve got Lieutenant Hawkeye to keep you from succumbing to your vices,” Havoc says and smirks at the colonel’s reddened expression.

Roy blinks and looks away from the second lieutenant. “Hawkeye is not the reason why I stopped day drinking. I could have stopped at any time.” 

“Colonel, with all due respect, you stopped because Hawkeye told you to,” Havoc deadpans and takes an ice cube into his mouth to chew.

“I stopped because I didn’t want to fail the physical before we transferred to Central,” Roy rebutts, crossing his arms across his chest and leaning back in the booth. 

Havoc rolls his eyes. “Lieutenant Hawkeye told you before you had your last physical in the East, but there really was no reason for you to stop since you’ve had Grumman alter the results in the past. But you stopped, and now you only share drinks with us when we’re out, or I can only assume with the lieutenant.” 

Roy relents and sips from his drink before responding. “I hate you, Havoc,” he says and sets the glass down. “But we aren’t talking about me.” 

“Yeah, yeah.” Havoc scratches his neck at his failed attempt to change the subject. “There’s just something about her, like her aura. And it’s not like we don’t have fun, but I just want a quiet night at some point.” He laughs softly. “But I also really like her. I’ve got a good feeling about her.”

Roy nods. “I’m glad. Maybe you’ll get more work done if you aren’t moaning about the girls that dump you every other week.” 

“I think I’ll cook for her instead,” Havoc says and leans forward on his elbows, a dreamy smile on his face. “It’s been a long time since I got to cook for someone other than myself. What do you think she’d like?” 

Roy shrugs. “Sometimes I make rice and beef stew for the lieutenant.” 

“Oh come on, Colonel, you two are basically married!” Havoc groans and runs a hand through his already messy blond hair. “I can’t make stew on a date like this.” 

“If you make one more comment about me and the lieutenant, I will report you for insubordination and get you court-martialed, successfully,” Roy says, mocking offense and pointing a finger at the man before taking another sip of alcohol. “And I’ll have you know she loves that beef stew, and she says my rice is the best she’s ever had. I’d give you the recipe, but it’s my mother’s.” The colonel turns up his nose and looks away from Havoc. 

Havoc can’t help but roll his eyes again at the man. “With all due respect, that’s not exactly a date dinner, Colonel. But you wouldn’t know that since you’re too in love with Lieutenant Hawkeye to make it to a second or even third date with any of the women you go out with.” 

Roy sets his glass on the table and glares at Havoc. “I am in love with Lieutenant Hawkeye’s work as my lieutenant and nothing more!”

“Whatever you say, Colonel.” 

—

“Sorry for killing your girl, Havoc,” Roy says, tilting his head to look at Havoc while avoiding the shooting pain of the wound on his abdomen. “But I wouldn’t want a Homunculus for a wife if I were you.” 

Havoc sighs audibly and meets Roy’s eyes. “Oh no, I don’t want one. But I don’t think she would have married me anyway. Not after I stood her up on that date.” 

“What had you decided to cook for her anyway?” Roy asks and adjusts the bed to where he doesn’t have to strain his neck to see the second lieutenant. 

Havoc does the same but adds a couple of pillows for more support on his back. “Beef stew and rice,” he admits, looking away from the colonel. 

“I told you it'd be good!” Roy lets out a laugh and smirks at Havoc. “I can have Lieutenant Hawkeye bring it over from your house if you’d like.”

“That’s alright.” Havoc shakes his head. “I’ll have Breda bring it over, he has a key. I wouldn’t want it to go to waste, after all,” he says, near hopeless in tone. 

Roy nods. “You’ll find someone soon, Havoc,” he assures. “I promise, there are many women that would be lucky to have you.” 

“Sure, just like you’d be lucky to have a lieutenant that can’t walk.”

Roy grinds his teeth, letting out a struggled exhale at the man’s stubbornness. “You’re a good man, Havoc. You dodged a bullet with Lust. Hawkeye’s got a friend—Rebecca Catalina, I think? You might remember her from the East, she works under Grumman.” 

“Rebecca Catalina,” Havoc muses, letting out a sigh. “I do remember her. We talked a little bit, but I was too shy to ask her out.” 

Roy rolls his eyes, letting out a groan of frustration--and a bit of pain--as he turns on his side to face Havoc. 

“What? She’s absolutely beautiful, for one thing, and a friend of Hawkeye’s. One wrong move and there’s no telling what the lieutenant would do to me."

Roy shakes his head and sighs again. “Havoc, once you get back to East City, I have just one order for you.” 

Havoc raises a brow. “And that is?” 

“Make that beef stew and rice for Rebecca Catalina,” Roy says, in the same stern tone as any other order. “I’m sure she’ll be happy for the company now that she and the lieutenant can’t meet up as often.” 

Havoc’s unsure if the colonel is serious in his request, but he likes the idea of having someone other than his family’s company when he’s back in East City. And when that company is an equally beautiful and charismatic woman such as Rebecca Catalina, the idea is certainly tempting, more so than any meeting with Solaris—no, _Lust_ — had ever been. 

“I’ll think about it, sir.”

**Author's Note:**

> just a little drabble featuring the hopeless romantics of the night :) 
> 
> i like writing havoc and roy's friendship, and writing roy semi-drunk and in denial about his love for riza is quite fun. i did a meta about how lust's betrayal likely affected havoc on my tumblr, so if you want to go read it, come visit me over there @brucestephenbucky 
> 
> i hope you enjoyed, leave a comment if you have any feedback!


End file.
